PatientView press release: Spanish patient groups want closer relationships with pharma—but as equal partners Spanish patient groups want closer relationships with pharma—but as equal partnersEmbargoed publication date: Tuesday, 19th June 2018, 6am GMTPress release based on the results of a new report: 'The Corporate Reputation of Pharma, 2017—the Perspective of Spanish Patient Groups', 4th edition
25 companies analysed in this report: AbbVie I Almirall I Amgen I Astellas Pharma I AstraZeneca I Bayer I Biogen I Boehringer Ingelheim I Bristol-Myers Squibb I Eli Lilly I Gilead Sciences I Grifols I GSK I Janssen I LEO Pharma I Menarini I Merck & Co / MSD I Merck KGaA I Novartis I Novo Nordisk I Otsuka I Pfizer I Roche I Sanofi I and Teva Spanish patient groups’ attitudes toward the pharmaceutical industry improved in 2017—though they still remain cautious about pharma, when compared with patient groups from other countries CHART 1: Percentage of respondent Spanish patient groups stating that the pharma industry as a whole had an “Excellent” or “Good” overall CORPORATE REPUTATION, 2014-2017 The Spain-wide findings of the 2017 Corporate-Reputation survey showed that pharma’s corporate reputation significantly increased in that country, 2016 to 2017. 46% of respondent Spanish patient groups stated that the pharma industry as a whole had an “Excellent” or “Good” corporate reputation in 2017, compared with only 28% saying the same in 2016. However, the percentage was even higher in Spain two years before, in 2015—at 48%. [see CHART 1] The main drivers for the increase in the industry’s corporate reputation in Spain in 2017 appear to be a more positive attitude that Spanish patient groups are taking to pharma companies’ efforts in the fields of patient centricity, innovation, the provision of high-quality products, corporate integrity, working partnerships with patient groups, and the services that pharma provides ‘beyond the pill’. However, despite being more favourable toward the pharmaceutical industry in 2017, Spanish patient groups are still not as positive about most of pharma’s activities as patient groups from many other individual parts of the world [CHART 2]. CHART 2: The percentage of patient groups saying that the pharmaceutical industry was “Excellent” or “Good” in 2017 at being patient centric. [The numbers in square brackets are the total numbers of respondent patient groups per country/region of the world.] What the Spanish patient groups need from pharma The aims of Spanish patient groups are, for the most part, similar to those of patient groups in other parts of the world. Patient groups everywhere seek to represent the interests of the patients with which they are familiar, and to provide support—with the intention of helping patients lead a better quality of life. Like patient groups elsewhere, Spanish patient groups largely welcome (and, indeed, desire) effective relationships with the pharmaceutical industry. Spanish patient groups’ comments emphasise the need for closer ties with the pharma industry, and greater involvement. However, comments from Spanish patient groups responding to the 2017 Corporate-Reputation survey make clear that the situation in Spain is complicated by a strict regulatory environment, and by the standards set by the pharma industry’s own Spanish tradesbody, Farmaindustria. These hamper associations between patient groups and industry in Spain—at least, from the perspective of the respondent Spanish patient groups. Some Spanish patient groups call for a campaign to change the regulatory system—particularly, the reframing of Farmaindustria’s rules—to enable closer co-operation between pharma and patient groups. Spanish patient groups list three types of relationship between themselves and pharma companies:
Spanish patient groups seemed to want to shift away from looser forms of relationships with pharma companies, moving, instead, to relationships in which the patient groups act as true partners to the companies, and are treated as equals. But Spanish patient groups were also adamant that the respective activities of patient organisations and pharma should remain distinct, and that companies should not intrude upon what are specifically patient-group activities. Another caveat is that pharma companies should recognise patient-group needs in any partnership. So, how did the companies perform at corporate reputation in 2017, in the viewpoints of Spanish patient groups? Ranking at corporate reputation is measured by patient groups familiar with a company.
Companies ranking 1st for each of the 12 indicators of corporate reputation in 2017, according to the 123 respondent Spanish patient groups familiar with the companies
TABLES AND CHARTS IN THE 2017 SPAIN CORPORATE-REPUTATION REPORT
CHARTS AND TABLES FOR EACH OF THE 25 COMPANIES:
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